What's new, food-wise, at Mystic Lake? We just launched a new buffet. The buffet had been there 13 years. We cleaned up the whole thing. We have new pots, pans, tchotchkes, decor and flat-screen TVs with the Food Network playing on them. We also updated the menu to provide smaller, more modern presentations. We've gotten away from the warming pans and the typical thing you think of when you think of buffet. Desserts go from a piece of cake on a plate to shot glasses full of desserts, more tasting-type portions, which is what's going on in Atlantic City and Vegas.

Basically, we're emphasizing quality. We're making sure everything is local, fresh and made from scratch. We have our own farm, so we pull a lot of produce from there.

We're also doing more featured nights. In addition to our seafood night on Wednesdays, we're doing fish and steak on Fridays. We have champagne brunch Sundays with a Bloody Mary bar, omelet station and mimosa bar.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut or a rock star. But food was always a big part of my childhood. I grew up with German food on one side and Irish and Scottish on the other side. We always had a big feast. On my father's side, my grandfather was my idol. He'd come home from work and throw on my grandma's fluffy apron and cook for us.

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On my mom's side, my grandmother was always making breads and made a big presentation of the food at family gatherings.

What's your first food memory? I remember being in my grandmother's small, small kitchen. It had a drawer that was a flour bin. She would have that thing open, put a pile of flour on the table and start adding eggs. She made such amazing baked goods. My grandfather on my dad's side lived in Richmond, Va., and always had a Southern table -- black-eyed peas, grits, fried chicken. Breakfast was a soft-boiled egg served in a cup. You chop up the egg with a spoon and add butter, salt and pepper. My grandpa used to make that for me, and I thought it was really impressive.

What was your first job in food? Right out of high school, I worked at the Donutt Hole, a cafe in the town I lived in in Michigan. I cooked breakfast and lunch and made doughnuts and ice cream.

How did you wind up in the restaurant business for good? My parents moved from Michigan to Kentucky, and I worked down there for a guy who had four restaurants. I started as a dishwasher and worked my way up to sous chef. After more jobs in hotels, I went to culinary school. I worked at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh and went to school at Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts.

How would you describe your style of cooking? American regional and seasonal, but my technique is definitely rooted in classic French.

What's your favorite dish on the menu? I'm a big seafood person. I don't know if I have a favorite. We probably feature 500 items on any given day.

What's something few people know about you? I'm a huge music fan. Mostly classic rock and blues. Buddy Guy is one of my favorites.

What's your favorite restaurant? Probably 112 Eatery in Minneapolis. The menu has a real New York edge to it. The food is rustic but rooted in French technique. It makes sense to me, and it's really approachable.

If someone were to play you in a movie, who should it be? Pierce Brosnan, who is much better looking than me.